News Stories - 24 September 2009
Australia has strengthened its engagement with the UN agency fighting HIV/AIDS
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, signed a partnership agreement with UNAIDS, the Joint UN Programme on AIDS, on 21 September committing Australia to provide $25.5 million over four years to help combat the spread of HIV in developing countries. This is an increase of more than 50 per cent in Australia’s annual total contribution to UNAIDS.
UNAIDS has led the way in getting HIV prevention, treatment, care and support to those who need it.
HIV is a serious threat to health and development. Close to five million people live with HIV in the Asia Pacific.
HIV is a growing burden on health systems and communities as the epidemic means an increased need for hospital beds and related medical facilities. Costs of dealing with the disease have a dramatic impact at the household level, pushing affected families further into poverty. The increasing number of AIDS orphans places burdens on communities.
Australia is a major provider of funds for UNAIDS’ work in the Asia Pacific. This partnership agreement extends that commitment. It also assists UNAIDS to perform its global role, particularly in the badly affected countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
The partnership agreement with UNAIDS is part of the Government’s $200 million UN Partnership for the Millennium Development Goals initiative, announced in the 2008 budget.
Similar partnership agreements have been signed with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (TSD) – 4th TSD Ministerial Meeting
The Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (TSD) is an important mechanism for three close allies, Australia, United States and Japan, to accomplish substantive work on many of the most pressing security issues facing the Asia-Pacific Region.
The Foreign Ministers of Australia, the United States and Japan held a Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (TSD) meeting on 21 September in New York to exchange views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual interest.
The meeting brought together three like-minded countries who share important interests and values.
It was the fourth TSD Ministerial meeting and the first for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the newly-appointed Foreign Minister of Japan, Mr Katsuya Okada.
The discussion covered a number of issues relevant to the national interests of the three countries and to the international community as a whole including Afghanistan; the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area; Iran and the DPRK and their nuclear programs.
Ministers also discussed ways in which trilateral cooperation could be advanced to meet future challenges, particularly in the Asia-Pacific Region and recommitted to practical trilateral initiatives already underway in a variety of areas, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the trilateral process as an effective forum for the promotion of their governments’ shared values, ideals and interests, particularly through regular TSD meetings, including at ministerial level.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): 53rd General Conference Outcomes
Australia welcomes the adoption of key resolutions on safeguards, nuclear security and safety as well as the consensus approach to the safeguards in the Middle East resolution.
The 53rd regular session of the IAEA General Conference was held from 14-18 September in Vienna.
Australia’s plenary statement highlighted its United Nations Security Council (UNSC) credentials, the work of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) and its views and contributions in the areas of safeguards, nuclear safety and security and non-power applications of nuclear energy.
The Conference adopted key resolutions on safeguards, nuclear security and safety. Australia successfully coordinated the Nuclear Safety resolution. The Middle East safeguards resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority, including Australia.
In association with the IAEA Secretariat, Australia hosted a roundtable meeting on responsible uranium mining with over 80 participants. Australia’s proposal to create a network of Friends of Responsible Uranium Mining was well received.
News Stories - 17 September 2009
64th United Nations General Assembly: High-Level Segment
Prime Minister Rudd is leading Australia’s delegation to the high-level segment of the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York from 22 to 26 September, accompanied by Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Climate Change Minister Penny Wong.
The high-level segment of the General Assembly is an important opportunity to advance Australia’s engagement with the United Nations (UN). A comprehensive engagement with the UN is a major pillar of the Australian Government’s foreign policy.
The 64th session of the General Assembly will focus on important global challenges such as climate change, the global financial crisis, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
Australia believes that we have a better prospect now to make real progress if the international community can muster the political will. Australia is encouraged by the active interest and engagement of the US, Japan and others.
Australia is making a significant contribution to addressing these global challenges and is determined to ensure the UN plays a central role in meeting them. This contribution and our wealth of experience in peacekeeping, conflict prevention, peace-building and development assistance, underscores our credentials for election to the UN Security Council in 2012 (for the 2013-14 term).
Prime Minister Rudd will address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday 23 September. During the visit Mr Rudd, Mr Smith and Senator Wong will attend UN Secretary-General Ban’s High-Level Event on Climate Change (22 September).
Mr Smith will attend other events on key issues, including climate change, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, interfaith dialogue, Burma, as well as co-chairing a Ministerial Roundtable on the responsibility to protect.
Mr Smith will also take the opportunity to undertake a series of bilateral meetings with counterparts in the margins of the high-level segment.
$5 million for the resettlement of displaced Sri Lankans
Australia and the international community continue to watch closely the Sri Lankan Government’s progress in meeting the needs of internally displaced people in camps, managing their resettlement, and instituting political reform and reconciliation.
Sri Lanka faces the tremendous task of resettling hundreds of thousands of displaced citizens. Australia is concerned that, since the decade-long conflict ended four months ago, over 250,000 people displaced by the conflict remain in temporary camps. It is now vital to move quickly to create the conditions to rebuild the lives of displaced Sri Lankans.
Australia welcomes the Sri Lankan Government’s public commitment to the resettlement task as it is essential that the people are afforded freedom of movement, are returned to their lands and provided with opportunities to build a livelihood.
On 14 September, Mr Smith announced that Australia will provide $5 million to support the resettlement of displaced people in Sri Lanka. This funding will assist the process of documenting internally displaced people to facilitate their return, provide essential items, including food and water for travel and reintegration, and help families hosting displaced people.
Australia will continue to respond to the humanitarian challenges facing Sri Lanka through our aid program, especially the needs of internally displaced people and their resettlement. Last financial year, 2008-09, Australia devoted $24.5 million to address humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka. This financial year, 2009-10, Australia will provide more than $35 million in assistance to Sri Lanka.
Australia encourages the Sri Lankan Government to seize the opportunity to promote the political freedoms that will enable all citizens to have a stake in Sri Lanka’s success.
News Stories - 11 September 2009
Africa DownUnder Mining Conference
Australia is committed to broadening and deepening its engagement with Africa, and ensuring that Australia’s investment meets Africa’s economic and development objectives.
The Africa DownUnder Mining Conference in Perth on 3-4 September strengthened commercial links between the Australian and African mining sector. Among the nearly 1000 delegates were Foreign Minister Smith, several African Mining Ministers and senior officials, and five Australian Heads of Mission to Africa, who also participated in a panel session with Austrade and AusAid.
Mr Smith’s speech recalled Australia’s three key priorities for enhanced engagement with Africa such as supporting Africa’s efforts to promote economic growth and prosperity through investment and trade; accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals; and addressing peace and security challenges.
Australian companies – in mining, oil and gas – have an estimated $20 billion worth of current and prospective investments in Africa and are active in nearly 30 countries across the continent.
Australian companies bring world-class technology and expertise to their African operations as the Australian Government believes this expertise and experience could make a unique and positive contribution to Africa’s long-term development.
Australia’s overseas development assistance program with Africa includes an increase in Australia’s aid to Africa by 40 per cent to over $160 million in 2009-10; creating a new technical facility – the Australia-Africa Partnership Facility – allowing African countries to have access to technical assistance and training in the management of mining industries and to ensure their minerals resources industries contribute to sustainable social and economic development; and education, as a key to help Africa’s economic and social development potential. Over 9000 Africans are currently studying in Australia.
Australia will provide 24 new mining industry fellowships in 2010 to help African governments develop their mining industries, up from five fellowships in 2008. Natural resource management will be one of the priority sectors covered by Australia’s scholarship program in Africa, which will provide up to 1000 scholarships and fellowships Africa-wide by 2012-13.
G20 Finance Ministers meeting in London
G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors have agreed that governments must continue stimulus measures while the global economic recovery remains fragile. Despite continuing weakness among the advanced economies, Australia recorded positive GDP growth over the year to June and continues to rank as a highly competitive economy.
G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, including Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan, met in London on 4-5 September 2009 to assess progress towards global economic recovery and the implementation of London Summit commitments. The meeting agreed that the G20’s coordinated actions had helped stabilise the global economy and financial system, but that recovery remained fragile and would be jeopardised by the premature withdrawal of government stimulus measures.
Participants welcomed considerable progress in implementing the stronger standards for financial supervision and regulation agreed at the London Summit. They agreed on the need for more and better-quality bank capital (as well as rapid progress on capital buffers), and that the moral hazard posed by banks that are too big to fail was a major challenge.
Australia was disappointed by the lack of progress on climate change financing. The UNFCCC is the appropriate forum for finalising an agreement on climate change mitigation but success in Copenhagen cannot be guaranteed unless significant progress can be made on climate change financing ahead of time.
G20 leaders will discuss future economic growth models at their Pittsburgh Summit on 24-25 September. Australia will seek the G20’s endorsement of a new framework for sustainable and balanced growth – including a peer review process that incorporates IMF surveillance. The Summit will also consider a report from the Financial Stability Board on executive compensation, including the scope for imposing caps on bonuses.
The Pittsburgh Summit is also expected to announce that IMF resource targets agreed at the London Summit have been achieved. Australia was pleased that the G20 Finance Ministers agreed on the need to increase the quota share of under represented emerging economies in the IMF, and on the importance of the IMF as a quota-based organisation.
During a period of continuing economic weakness in many parts of the world, the Australian economy has continued to perform solidly. Australia's June Quarter National Accounts show that the Australian economy has been the best performing advanced economy over the past year and the only advanced economy that has recorded positive growth over this period. GDP rose by 0.6 per cent in the June quarter to be 0.6 per cent higher through the year.
In addition, the World Economic Forum’s recent Global Competitiveness Report ranks here Australia 15th out of 133 countries, up from 18th last year. The report assesses competitiveness in terms of the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity of an economy.
News Stories - 3 September 2009
International students in Australia
Australia is a destination of choice for international students seeking a high-quality education. The Australian Government is committed to delivering the highest-quality education system and providing international students with the support they need while studying.
Australia welcomes tens of thousands of students from more than 190 countries every year. These students make enormous contribution to Australia’s multicultural diversity, the academic life of our institutions and people-to-people linkages across the world. Surveys have confirmed that most international students have an overwhelmingly positive experience of study in Australia.
Australia’s universities are world-class. The 2008 Times international rankings of universities showed that 18 per cent of Australia’s universities are in the top 100; 23 per cent are in the top 200; and 55 per cent are in the top 500. Australian universities have an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research, with academic staff recruited from Australia and around the world.
Australia’s national training system is also outstanding and some sectors have grown strongly to meet the increased demand from international students for vocational education and training qualifications.
The peak Commonwealth and State and Territory body, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), has committed to improve the quality of education for international students and their well-being, through the development of a comprehensive National International Student Strategy to be put in place during the 2010 academic year.
The Australian Government has also taken a number of initiatives to make it easier for international students to make their voices heard by establishing a hotline for students to raise concerns, anonymously if they wish and by organising an International Student Roundtable to take place on 14 and 15 September 2009. Roundtable participants will have the opportunity to discuss issues affecting their experience in Australia and to put forward ideas on how to address their concerns.
All Australian governments are working to protect the integrity of Australia's international education sector and close the net on those who deliberately abuse it or evade their obligations.
The Australian Government is continuing to improve regulations and laws designed to protect international students and ensure they receive a high-quality education.
The forthcoming review of the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000 will ensure Australia’s regulatory framework delivers the best consumer protection and maintains rigorous standards for education providers wishing to deliver courses to international students. On 19 August, the Deputy Prime Minister tabled proposed amendments to the ESOS Act requiring all education and training providers on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students to re-register under new, tighter criteria by 31 December 2010. The amendments also require registered education and training providers to list their education agents publicly.
Australian Commonwealth and State governments are also engaging governments, students and parents in key education markets to underline Australia’s commitment to ensuring the security and well-being of international students.
News Stories - 27 August 2009
Mr Smith’s visit to Brazil and Chile
Mr Smith’s visit to Brazil this month is the first by an Australian Foreign Minister since 2006. In Australia one year ago, Mr Smith and his Brazilian counterpart, External Affairs Minister Amorim, had agreed that bilateral relations should be enhanced to reflect growing interest in the broadening and deepening engagement between the governments, businesses and peoples of the two nations.
On 25 August in Brasilia, Mr Smith and Mr Amorim agreed to conclude the Plan of Action for an Enhanced Partnership with Brazil, for consideration by Prime Minister Rudd and President Lula. The Plan of Action aims to expand and strengthen Australia’s links with Brazil in a wide range of areas, including trade and investment, agriculture, mining, energy, science and technology, education, sport, culture and people-to-people links.
One measure of the growing importance of Australia’s links with Brazil is the growth in bilateral trade and investment. Brazil was ranked by the IMF in 2008 as the world’s tenth-largest economy and is Australia’s largest trading partner in Latin America as total two-way merchandise trade exceeded A$2.5 billion in 2008-09; Australian investment in Brazil exceeded $2 billion in 2008 and Brazil is the largest source of students coming to Australia from Latin America with over 16,000 Brazilians student enrolments in Australian educational institutions in the year to December 2008.
Australia and Brazil share an ongoing interest in meeting key global challenges – including through forums such as the UN, the WTO and the G20, in all of which Brazil is an increasingly influential player. Mr Smith had very useful discussions with Mr Amorim and also with Brazil’s Finance Minister Mantega on approaches to the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh in September.
In Chile on 27 August, Mr Smith met with President Bachelet and Foreign Minister Fernandez, securing agreement on steps to enhance political dialogue as well as deepen and expand the trade and investment relationship, particularly in educational, science and agricultural fields.
Mr Smith signed two memoranda of understanding (MOUs): one to strengthen cooperation in agriculture between Australia and Chile; the other to regularise bilateral political consultations. The second MOU will complement at the political level Australia’s excellent trade and investment relationship with Chile.
Mr Smith’s visit demonstrated that Australia’s relationship with Chile, its third-largest trading partner in Latin America, is strong and getting stronger: Two-way merchandise goods and services trade last financial year exceeded $A1.2 billion, the Australia-Chile Free Trade Agreement entered into force on 6 March 2009 and there are some 70 Australian businesses in Chile with assets totalling over $2 billion.
Increasing numbers of Chileans are now studying at universities and vocational institutions in Australia, under the extensive Bicentennial Scholarship program funded by Chile’s Government. Mr Smith announced funding to assist the development of a program for the study of the English language in Chile.
In addressing the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Mr Smith emphasised Australia’s new approach to relations with Latin America, including work on a new Australian development assistance program for Latin America and the Caribbean.